Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Beverage service is one of the few in-flight amenities that domestic carriers have maintained throughout their on-going barrage of cost-cutting measures (such as baggage fees and reduced legroom). While these free beverages are usually limited to non-alcoholic drinks, there are still ways to get some comped booze on your flight, even if you’re flying coach. For example, earlier this month, United joined American in offering complimentary drinks to its most frequent flyers, regardless of their seats on the plane — including coach service.Here’s a breakdown of the major American carriers’ beverage policies:AirlinePricesWho gets a free drink?American$7-9 Free for Executive Platinum and Concierge Key members Free in Main Cabin on select international routes Delta$6-8 Free in Delta Comfort and above (Medallion members get complimentary upgrades) Free in economy on select international routes United$7-16 Free for Premier 1k and Global Services passengers Free in economy on select international routes JetBlue$6-9 Sometimes comped during month-long promos for Mosaic members Often comped for Mosaic members on request Southwest$5 Free in Business Select Free on select holidays (check online for details) Virgin America$6-8 Complimentary in Main Cabin Select and above Even if you don’t have frequent flyer status or aren’t flying in a premium seat, there are still a few ways to get drinks that are independent of any specific airline. It seems there are no hard and fast rules for many of these tips, but here are some other possible ways to get comped/discounted drinks:Use your airline reimbursement credit with cards such as the American Express Premier Rewards Gold CardEarn discounts or points with select airline credit cards like the Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite MastercardCoupons from statusCoupons from past service issuesComped drinks for military service members and veteransThe information for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.While enjoying free-flowing food and beverages in the pointy end of the plane is certainly nice, the vast majority of travelers are sitting in economy class — so even though airfare prices are supposedly falling, it’s still nice to save a bit on your in-flight drink(s).Do you have any tips for getting a comped drink? Please share in the comments below!
